Re: MOT beware
Originally Posted by
Primus1
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It used to be that if your car failed, and you still had say a month left on the old certificate, you could legally drive it away, to say, carry out repairs yourself, then drive it back to the mot centre and have it retested and passed
That has nothing to do with passing and failing. Any time that you don't have an MOT you can still do all of that. For example, I have a car that I don't use and is sitting on my drive, no MOT. It is registered as SORN. If I decide I want to get it MOT'd I can legally drive it to the MOT centre if I have booked the MOT.
This has always been the case.
Originally Posted by
Primus1
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the old mot was still legal and, as tpin said you could have 13 months mot
Again this is irrelevant. At any time that your car becomes unroadworthy you become liable and open to prosecution if you drive the car. It matters not one iota whether you have a valid MOT certificate or not.
If you go for an MOT early and the car fails, all that means is that you've been notified formally that your car is not road worthy. You don't necessarily need an MOT check to ascertain that. Your mate next door might look at your car and tell you that something is wrong with it.
The notion that if you have a valid MOT certificate in your hand you are somehow immune, is just incorrect. The MOT has no meaning whatsoever.
Your car MUST be road worthy AT THE TIME you are driving it. That is YOUR responsibility.
All of this ought to be obvious really so I'm slightly surprised that this issue is being debated.
Some simple examples
You have a valid MOT certificate but since that point :
- You have a bald tyre
- You have a headlight out
- You have a brake light out
- Your brake pipes have become badly corroded
- Your wing mirror got totally smashed by another car
etc etc etc
The MOT certificate means nothing.
The car must be road worthy.
The only instances where you may drive a car in an unroadworthy state are:
1. To drive to a repair shop/garage
2. To drive to an MOT centre where an MOT has been booked
That has always been the case.